Grain-door for cars



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

R. W. THICKINS. GRAIN DOOR PoR GARS.

Patented Mar. 24, 1891.

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2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

R. W. THIGKINS.

GRAIN 130011 F03 GARS.

No. 449,098. Patented Mar. 24, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD XV. THICKINS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO EDVARD R. HARROUN, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

GRAIN-DOOR FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 449,098, dated March 24, 1891.

Application led September 5, 1888 Serial No. 284,610. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern: p

Be it known that I, RICHARD W. THIoKINs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain- Doors forRailway-Cars and other Structures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the auxiliary doors used in cars for shipping grain and similar products; and it consists in the construction and arrangement as hereinafter shown and described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a car with my improved door arranged therein, the grain-door being in cross-section. Fig. 2 is aview similar to Fig. l, showing one end of the graindoor. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a portion of a car including the doorway-opening, the left-hand portion viewed from the interior and the right-hand portion viewed from the exterior of the car. Fig. 4 isl a section of a portion of the car and one end of the graindoor, showing the door in position when closed, and Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the door partially elevated, these two views beingintended to illustrate some of the details of the construction. Fig. Gis a plan, View in section on the line X X of Fig. 3, illustrating more fully the construction. Figs. 7, S, and 9 are enlarged sectional details illustrating modifications in the construction of the door-hangers. Figs. 10, 1l, and 12 represent enlarged detached views of the mechanism for fastening the lower edge of the door to the car. Figs. 13 and 14 represent enlarged details of a modification in the manner of forming the tracks or guides.

A represents the door, A2 the door-posts, A3 the doorway-openings, and A4 the roof, of a car of the ordinary construction.

B represents the grain-door, which is formed in the ordinary manner and arranged to rest with its lower edge behind the rear edge of the metal threshold or sill C, and with its ends resting against the inner surface of the door-.posts A2, the latter being protected by metal plates a, against which the grain-door slides up and down,

The ends of the door B are armed with metal plates b, whose outer or free edges lap over the edges of the plates a, and also into grooves d, formed for them in the posts A2, as v shown more clearly in Figs. 7, 8, and 0. The plates d thus perform a threefold pu rposeviz., as guides or projection strips between the doors B and the posts A2, and also, in con- Securedto the posts A2 upon each side of the doorway-openings are guides D, preferably formed of sections of L-iron, as shown, the upper outer corners of the door B being connected to these guides by hangers E, the latter with or without anti-friction rollers g, as in Figs. l, 2, 7, S, and 9. The guides D are set slightly inclined outward at their upper ends, as shown, the lower ends being so arranged that the hangers E will be pressed inward, and thus hold the upper part of the door tightly against the plates aand posts A2.

The lower ends of the plates b will be formed with projecting inclined toes b', adapted to enter sockets in the floor of the car, and

thus crowd the lower edge of the doorinward against the threshold O and insure a graintight joint between the door and threshold.

The toes b also perform another function- Viz., serving to support the door in a partiallyelevated position by catching over small plates e, attached to the inner surface of the post A2, as shown in Fig. 5, which shows the position of the door and the action of the parts when thus elevated. By this simple means the door may be elevated and supported across the upper part of the doorway-opening, leaving the lower part of the doorway unobstructed, which will be sufficient under ordinary circumstances in unloading the car. Then to replace the door it is only necessary to move its lower edge upward and inward IOO until the toes h are free from the plates c, when the door may be lowered into position, as in Figs. l, 2, 3, and t. When, however, the car is to be used for other purposes than for transporting grain, the door will be elevated until the hangers E are at the upper end of the tracks D, when the door will be `free to be turned up against the inside of the roof of the car, withits lower edge caught and supported by a catch F. The outer faces of the hangers E, (or the rollers g upon them,) when the door is elevated run over the upper ends 7L of the guides D, so that the upper edge of the door is thereby supported and prevented from falling downward. The door may thus be easily supported up out of the way of the freight in the car and all danger of annoyance from the presence of the door avoided.

Attached to the inner lower edge of the door Bby a hanger G is a small shaft G2, having a handle or arm G3 on its upper end and a screw-like hook or cam GrA1 on its lower end.` This screw s cam is so arranged that when revolved it acts as a combined wedge and hook-as a wedge to pass into cavity 'i' beneath the rea-r edge of the threshold C and draw the door downward, and as a hook to catch around a fixed pin 122, and securely hold the parts united, the two functions thus co acting to produce the desired result. The operating-handle Gr3 of the shaft G2 is formed with a slot adapted to fit over a staple or pin G5, located on the door 13, (see Fig. 3,) by which it may be secured in place by a pin m, and thus be prevented from turning back- ,ward inadvertently and releasing the door while the car is in transit. A projecting lug n on the hanger lrserves as a catch beneath which a bar may be placed to force the door upward when it is desired to open it.

A handle may be attached to the door B in place of the lug n, or any other suitable means employed to produce the same effect, if desired, the lug not beinga necessary, although a very convenient, adjunct to the apparatus.

ledges II will be arranged in the upper part of the guides D to cause the hangers E or the rollers g within them to be moved outward when the door is elevated, and thus cause the hangers or rollers to be moved outward to insure the requisite rolling of the hangers or rollers over the tops of the guides and preventing them from binding on the guides while the lower edge of the door is being raised upward to the roof of the car.

The construction of the catch F is an important feature of my invention, consisting of a har or shank F2, supported in an inclined position by a hanger or socket F3 on one of the carlings or other part of the roof-frame of the car, as shown, the lower end of the shank F2 having a foot 1f to catch beneath the edge of the door and supportitin its elevated position. By arranging the shank F2 in the inclined position, as shown, when the door is to be released it is only necessary to move the shank upward to cause the foot to be withdrawn from the door and permit the latter to be released. This is a very simple and effective means of supporting the door.

As before stated, the guides D will preferably be formed of sections of L-iron, with the ends bent into ear-like shape for properly securing them in place upon the door-posts; but I do not wish to be limited to any particular method of forming them, as I am aware that they may be formed in many ways.

In the drawings the guidesDare shown inclined inward, leaving open spaces between the inner edges and the posts A2; but they may be arranged with the inner edge partially buried in the posts, or with the inner edges inclined so as to lie in close contact with the posts, and thus avoid the open spaces. The strips a and grooves d may bc dispensed with under certain conditions and the edges` of the strips arranged to butt direct-ly against the inner surface of the doorposts A2. This would make a relatively grain-tight joint, as the metal strips would soon form a groove in the wood by friction, and such a modification of the construction would not be a departure from the spirit and intent ot' my invention. I prefer the construction shown, however, as it insures a more satisfactory result.

I have shown in the several views slight modifications in the construction of the hangers E on the door B.

In Fig. '7 the hanger is shown with twoantifriction rollers g g, and in Fig. 8 it is shown with only one roller, while in Fig. 9 it is shown without any roller, andwhile I may prefer to use one or more rollers I do not wish to be limited to-their use, as the apparatus will operate satisfactorily without any rollers, asin Fig. 9. If the lat-ter construction is used, that portion of thehangerwhich comes in contact with the inner surface of the guides should be round in cross-section, so as not to biudnpon the guides when operated.

In Figs. 18 and Il a slight modification is shown in the manner of constructing the guides D, consisting in forming them of a strip of sheet or bar iron D', bent over and supported by a wooden base or core D2, the two parts D and D2 being connected to the car-frame by bolts or screws passing through both.

XVhile I prefer to construct the guides of angle or L iron, as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, (l, 7, 8, and 9, I do not wish to be limited to any particular method of construction, so long as the operative edges of the guides are turned away from each other and away from the doorway-openings, so that the hangers embrace them froin the outside edges of the guides. This latter arrangement of the guides insures two important and novel results: First, by arranging the guides with their operative edges turned in opposite directions IOO IIO

the hangers will not be disconnected from the guides by the twisting of the door when in operation, and, second, the guides serve to keep the door in place as it is elevated, by the fact of the latter running upward and downward between the guides.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. In a freight-car, the car-body having a door-opening and vertical fixed guides on opposite sides of the door-opening within the car-body, said guides having their operative edges disposed in opposite directions from each other and away from said opening, in combination with a vertically-sliding door closing said opening and located between said guides, said door having on opposite sides runners co-operating with said guides, each runner extending back of one guide around its inner edge and having a portion extending between said guide and the adjacent side of the car-body` substantially as set forth.

2. In a freight-car, the car-body having a door-opening, the sill or threshold of said door-opening having a cavity c" and a catch or pin 2 in said cavity, in combination with a vertically-sliding car-door adapted to said door-opening and a combined locking and tightening hook and wedge Gr2 G4, carried vby said door near its bottom edge and co-operating with said catch or pin 2, substantially as Set forth.

3. In a freight-car, the car-body having a door-opening and vertical grooves d d on each side of and parallel with the edges of said door-opening', vert-ical metallic facingstrips a a., extending on each side of the dooropening between the edges thereof and the said grooves, and fixed vertical guides on each side of said door-openinglocated fartheraway from the opening than said grooves, in combination with a vertically-sliding door adapted to said door-opening, its vertical side Inargins seating against said facing-strips, outwardly-extendin g vertical ange-plates h b on each side of said door fitting in said grooves d d, respectively, and runners E E on each side of said door engaging said guides, respectively, substantially as set forth.

4. In a freight-car, the car-body having a door-opening and vertical grooves tl d on each side of and parallel with the edges of said door-opening, vertical metallic facing-strips ct a, extending on each side of the door-opening between the edges thereof and the said grooves, sockets in the ioor of the car, horizontal catches or stops e across said grooves d d, and fixed vertical guides on each side of said door-opening located farther away from the opening than said grooves, in combination with a vertically-sliding door adapted to said door-opening, `its vertical side margins seating against said facing-strips, outwardly-extending vertical flange-plates b b on each side of said door fitting in said grooves d d, respectively, said flange-plates having inclined lower ends b', which engage said' floor-sockets and said catches or stops e, and runners E E on each side of said door engaging said guides, respectively, substantially as set forth.

5. In a freight-car, the car-body having a door-opening, vertical fixed guides on either side of said door-opening, and a vertically and inwardly swinging car-door having runners engaging said guides, in combination with an inclined catch F, sliding in inclined guides fixed within the car near its top, said catch having foot t, upon which is supported the lower edge of the door when the latter is swung inward, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD IV. THICKINS.

lVitnesses:

C. N. WOODWARD, I-I. S. WEBSTER. 

